


walk with you

by cherrykii



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming of Age, Fluff and Angst, Ghost Lee Seokmin, Hurt/Comfort, Lee Jihoon | Woozi is Whipped, M/M, Prodigy Lee Jihoon, Strangers to Lovers, Supernatural Elements, please protect lee seokmin at all costs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27260944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrykii/pseuds/cherrykii
Summary: Jihoon gets stressed out of his mind and acquires the ability to see the piano room's infamous ghost.(or alternatively, seokhoon pinocchio (the webtoon) au)
Relationships: Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Lee Seokmin | DK
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	walk with you

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Jia and Bib for giving me their thoughts and helping me with this! <3  
> It's not gonna be a long one, but it was super fun to write. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do ^^

**one.**

"Fuck!" 

He barges into the room, jaws grinding and shoulder tense. The door flings open with a loud thump, but he doesn’t care. 

_(“Jihoon, you have to decide now,” the counselor said._

_“You’re graduating next semester.”_

_The thin, crumpled paper crinkled further in his hand, being waved around. As if it’ll make Jihoon decide his future right then and there._ _The thing has been blank for months._ _Jihoon has limited time, he knows._

 _Everyone's figured out their plans, so_ _why can't he?_

_“There’s so many options,” the middle aged man continued. “You’re a bright young man, Jihoon. Talented too. But I just don’t understand-” he paused then, faux-concern dripping from his voice._

_He’ll figure it out. Jihoon will figure it out soon, he wants to snap._

_The young boy couldn't bring himself to say it, though. He just stood there, taking it, hands tangled around his back and not even meeting the man's eyes._

_“You’re wasting your talent, Jihoon.” The man ended, before Jihoon stormed out as quick as he could.)_

Upon entering the room, his eyes are hit by _light._ Jihoon shields his face, _almost blinded to hell_. The curtains weren't drawn, strong sunlight entering in blocks through the large windows. 

Someone's here.

A figure is standing in front of the windows; backlight too strong for Jihoon to take a good look. Like this, the person - a boy, wearing a uniform identical to his - looks almost _translucent,_ nearly ethereal. The sun and floating dust glows behind him, making something akin to a halo. Jihoon averts his eyes to a corner to let it adjust, eyebrows knitted in displeasure.

Blinking away the spots in his sight, Jihoon meets the stranger's gaze, and the boy actually _yelps._ The intruder was wearing an incredulous expression, eyes comically wide and hands gripping the windowsill. Jihoon wants to groan. 

_These freshmen really..._

He double takes, and it’s not the wrong room. Begrudgingly, it's still the barely filled room he knows, the only things going for it for years were dust and the old grand piano (it was the only damn thing well-kept in it).

It's his safe haven, nobody in the school has the guts to enter it - either because it's Lee Jihoon's, the (in)famous scholarship beneficiary's room, or because of all the paranormal rumors surrounding it.

 _Jokes on them,_ Soonyoung had quipped, _anyone who enters there would probably be killed by you first_. Wonwoo just elbowed the cackling language major, pleading him to shut up before Jihoon actually bites his head off. (Though as much as he likes to taunt it, he wouldn't. He's too fond of him already, but Jihoon would sooner win a nobel peace prize before telling him that.)

“Name and class.” Only the groundskeepers would enter this room to clean, and last time he checked, they do _not_ wear student uniforms.

“Uh, I-” The boy stutters, voice pinched.

Ignoring the look of _shock? horror?_ on the freshman's face, he rubs between his eyes, frustration gradually fading. He's exhausted. (Jihoon isn't a stranger to that look, but it makes his heart twinge regardless)

"You can see me." _The fuck._

"No shit, do I look blind to you?"

"Well first of all I don't assume," the boy retorts, face paling a little further. 

The boy panics, long arms flailing everywhere, "I'm sorry, I didn’t mean that, but I-" His voice is strained, a little choked up.

"Alright, shut up." He does _not_ want to deal with a stupid lost freshman right now. But the other freezes in place, feet planted firmly in the ground - making no sign to move. Jihoon sighs.

“I’m sorry, I’ll leave,” The boy just kept muttering apologies to himself, nervous to hell and back. _This is probably why students avoid you_ , Jihoon’s mind supplies. Great. What an amazing upperclassman indeed.

Something tickles his nose, and he tears his gaze from the freshie for a moment. _God, the dust._ Jihoon takes a few cloths the groundskeepers had (per Jihoon’s request) kept in the room. It’s annoying to play on dusty keys.

“It’s fine. If you’re not gonna leave, clean up the room with me.” Jihoon holds up a napkin, beckoning the boy to take it. Jihoon tries to school his expression to something neutral. 

Hesitantly, the boy steps out of the light. From here, Jihoon can make out _Lee Seokmin_ from his uniform badge. Seokmin takes the napkin and stares at it for a while.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no! It’s just,” He shifts a bit on his feet, clutching the cloth a little tighter. A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips, “I’ll do my best.”

They bustle around for a good hour or so, just cleaning and talking - or rather, Seokmin clumsily rambling random stories and Jihoon listening - and it’s actually pleasant enough.

Seokmin tells him of how empty the school is, how he’s just been walking around campus fascinated at how it looks kind of haunted. Seokmin giggles to himself after that one, a clear and bright laugh. Jihoon likes how it sounds.

He finds himself at ease with the brown-haired boy. Not minding the way he trips over nothing, words sometimes jumbling as his brain speeds faster than he can talk. He almost seems like a golden retriever. Jihoon chuckles to himself at the thought, Soonyoung would definitely like him. It seems like anyone within Seokmin's vicinity would feel comfort, Jihoon should ask Wonwoo tomorrow if they can adopt him to their circle - if Seokmin doesn't mind.

It seems like Seokmin didn’t know who he is, and he didn't seem like a kid who'd indulge in gossip... Jihoon wonders what’ll change when he does.

Slowly but surely, the room comes together - dust no longer clings to the curtains, it was much easier to breathe, and Jihoon found himself more at ease. Rubbing off the last speck on the glass, he notes that the sunlight was tinged with a yellow glow to it now. Looking through the crystalline windows, Jihoon huffs proudly.

"Seokmin-ah, good work." He sets down the napkin in his hand before dusting his hand off. _Maybe I'll treat you to some tteok._ He grins at the thought, wonders what expression Wonwoo would make at him, having told Jihoon made a friend.

Jihoon turns around, and his grin falls away.

He's alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's short :(( The next chapter will be more fun (i hope) and it'll come very soon!  
> Inspired by a lot of stuff, (mainly, but loosely by the webtoon [Pinocchio](http://webtoon.daum.net/webtoon/view/pinocchio)! check it out if you haven't, it's really good.)  
> \+ I'm not that good at writing yet, so I really appreciate any kind of feedback! :D


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